On Dec. 27, 2009, demonstrators took to the streets to protest the results of the June 2009 presidential elections, which they claimed were rigged in favor of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It was one of the bloodiest days of the so-called Green Movement protests that shook the Islamic Republic of Iran. Inflaming tensions further, the date fell on Ashoura, a Shiite holy day and a sensitive one for the government.
Three days later on Dec. 30, 9 Dey in the Iranian calendar, pro-government protesters took the streets in a show of force to condemn Green Movement protesters, who they claimed were being supported by foreigners, particularly the United States, Britain and Israel.